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| - I'd never been to the Thomas & Mack Center before, even after living in the Las Vegas valley for 4 years. But I finally went there for the Mountain West Conference Men's Basketball Championship Semifinals to root for my undergraduate alma mater and top seed, San Diego State, and the local team, UNLV's famed Runnin' Rebels, in separate games. Now that I've been inside the hallowed gray and red walls, I must declare that my general impression of the center is very favorable.
Although we rode along Maryland Parkway and Tropicana Avenue for awhile in vain looking for a parking entrance despite what our apparently confused GPS said, we finally took a chance and followed some cars from Tropicana to the interior of the UNLV campus until we saw the $15 parking sign. Ouch! But we had checked in advance to know how much would be extracted from us to park our car while we watched the games. So the high tariff was not unexpected. Finding a space was relatively easy 45 minutes before the first tip-off. But when we left, the Lot Full sign was lit up. After a 4-block walk from the car, escalators leading to the center entrance were a welcome sight. And, in Diane and I went. I also liked the convenience and security of being able to print my tickets in advance, already have them in hand on game day, and gain quick admission through scanning of a bar code on the colorful sheet of paper that served as an official ticket.
Once inside we decided to get food right away and take it to our reserved seats to avoid greater crowds later on. Smart move! As congested as the corridor circling around the seating areas was, it was jammed with three times the number of people between the two games. Even though I was pleased to see several food stands, at intermission even the Dairy Queen line was a pack of 40 people 8 deep and 5 rows across. So, I only got to eat some food at the center early on, and we went to Blueberry Hill right after the conclusion of the games for more.
What did surprise me were really steep stairs that had to be ascended to Row M in the balcony weighted down by a leather jacket, BlackBerry, camera, binoculars, Coke, Pulled Pork Sandwich, & Potato Salad from Austin Blues BBQ, bottled water, and bags of both coated almonds and pecans. I must have looked quite pained making the ascent, because a man seated on the aisle asked if I needed help. It took all my breath to respond, "No, I can handle it!" And, at length, I did.
The sight lines in the arena were great. Unlike the LA Forum, where I used to see Michael Jordan square off against Magic Johnson, there were no poles to have to peer around here. And the atmosphere of happy and alcohol-enhanced sports fans cheering on their favorite team was great, along with the sounds of four different bands and cheerleading squads taking turns performing the whole night. I just wish so many attendees wouldn't stand up so often--even during some foul shots and time outs--which forced everyone behind them to stand as well in order to see anything below.
Leaving the center was relatively easy. First I waited a few minutes in the car. But when I saw how quickly cars were leaving the grounds, I joined one of three lanes, and was on Tropicana in less than 5 minutes. I would not hesitate to frequent Thomas & Mack for a special event again. National Rodeo and PBR Bull Riding Championships already sound appealing!
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